Love Lock

Chapter 331 Change the world
The night was as black as ink.

Hundreds of miles away in Yizhou City, Emperor Jing sent 30,000 imperial guards from the capital.

The sound of horses' hooves drew closer, echoing in the silent night sky and startling the birds in the woods.

The Imperial Guard Commander Tang Rongyao rode at the very front, his imposing figure appearing even more majestic in the torchlight.

Tang Rongyao raised his hand to signal the army to stop, and squinted as he surveyed the city of Yizhou before him.

The city gates of Yizhou were already closed, but the city walls stood tall, the garrison was in good order, and the city was brightly lit. Everything seemed normal, and there was no indication that it was under attack.

"Something's not right." Tang Rongyao frowned, his rugged face filled with doubt.

He had expected to see the rebel army of Cangzhou besieging the city, but he was surprised to find it so peaceful.

He took a deep breath and muttered to himself, "Could it be that the rebels haven't reached Yizhou yet?"

To be on the safe side, he sent a personal guard forward to announce: "Please summon Cui Meng, the garrison commander of Yizhou, to speak. General Tang, the commander of the Imperial Guards of the capital, has arrived. Please open the city gates immediately!"

On the city wall, a soldier peered out and called out in the night wind, "General Cui is currently fighting the Cangzhou rebels at the west gate! If the general has urgent business, he may come to the west gate to meet me!"

Upon hearing that the rebels were attacking the West Gate, Tang Rongyao was immediately filled with anxiety.

He raised his voice and shouted, "Then hurry up and open the city gates to let the reinforcements into the city to provide assistance!"

"General, we can't open the city gates!" the garrison soldier said helplessly, waving his hands repeatedly.

They were reinforcements from the capital, yet these soldiers guarding the city were so rude, refusing to open the city gates.

Tang Rongyao was about to explode in anger when he heard the garrison soldier continue shouting, "General Cui has ordered that in these extraordinary times, we must not easily trust anyone! If it truly is reinforcements from the imperial court, please proceed to the west gate to provide support, which will allow us to launch a pincer attack on the rebels!"

Tang Rongyao, who had been traveling all day, was furious, but remembering that the enemy was attacking the West Gate, he couldn't vent his anger. He could only turn his horse around and shout gruffly, "All troops, listen up! Detour to the West Gate and rush to General Cui's aid!"

The 30,000 imperial guards were exhausted, and a day of forced march had left their armor covered in dust and their faces weary.

But military orders are absolute, so he had no choice but to muster his spirits and hurry westward along the outer perimeter of the city wall.

The horses' hooves kicked up dust again, and they moved forward like a long dragon winding through the night.

On the city wall, the garrison soldier who had just shouted saw the Imperial Guards disappear into the distance, quickly took out a walkie-talkie from his pocket, pressed a button, and said, "General Xiao, General Xiao. The fish has taken the bait. They are heading towards the west gate."

Meanwhile, on the city tower at the west gate, Xiao Zhengfei put away his walkie-talkie, a cold smile curling at the corner of his mouth.

He waved his hand, and the soldiers on the city wall immediately sprang into action, silently setting up traps and checking their weapons.

Dozens of solar-powered lights on the city wall have been temporarily turned off, waiting for the right moment to shine brightly again.

"All troops, prepare!" Xiao Zhengfei shouted. "Let our distinguished guests from the capital experience our fighting strength firsthand."

About an hour later, Tang Rongyao led his army to the west gate and heard deafening shouts of battle from afar.

Flames soared into the sky below the city walls, and an army could be clearly seen fiercely attacking the city.

Although the soldiers were wearing the standard armor of the Great Jing Dynasty, the character "苍" was embroidered prominently on their chests.

"As expected, they are traitors from Cangzhou!" Tang Rongyao roared in fury, pointing his sword at the battlefield. "Charge! Annihilate the rebels! Assist General Cui!"

Upon receiving the order, the Imperial Guard's cavalry took the lead, charging towards the battlefield like arrows released from a bow.

Their warhorses neighed, their swords were drawn, and they were about to clash with the "rebel army" attacking the city from outside.

Suddenly, the cavalryman at the forefront fell to the ground along with his horse, his screams piercing the night sky.

In the dim firelight, a hidden trench was clearly visible, its surface covered with wild grass and a thin layer of soil that could not possibly support the weight of the horses.

At the same time, dozens of solar-powered lights on the city wall suddenly lit up, their dazzling white light turning the night as bright as day.

The imperial guards, who were charging forward, instinctively raised their hands to shield their eyes, and their warhorses, startled, reared up with neighs.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

Several crisp gunshots drowned out the battlefield noise. Tang Rongyao, who was waving his hand to direct the charge, suddenly felt a sharp pain in his shoulder and fell off his horse to the ground.

Several of his personal guards fell to the ground, their blood staining their battle robes.

"General!"

Tang Rongyao's deputy exclaimed in surprise and hurriedly dismounted to help him up.

Tang Rongyao clutched his wound, looked up at the city wall, his eyes filled with shock and confusion.

He wasn't shocked by what kind of weapon could wound him from such a distance; he was shocked that the defenders on the city wall would attack their own men.
Could it be that General Cui didn't hear clearly that they were reinforcements from the capital?

But Tang Rongyao never imagined that Yizhou had already fallen, and the soldiers who were "attacking" and "defending" the city were all men of Zhao Zun, the King of Cangzhou.

The deafening gunfire seemed to be a signal. Upon hearing the gunfire, the Cangzhou army, which was originally "attacking the city," suddenly turned around and surged towards the Imperial Guards like a tide.

Instead of feigning an attack on the city walls, they quickly split into two groups.

One group of Cangzhou soldiers were responsible for fighting with swords, while the other group took out ropes hanging from their waists to bind the fallen imperial guards.

Even more terrifying, a large number of ambushes suddenly emerged from the earthen slopes and woods behind the Imperial Guards, forming an encirclement in an instant.

These soldiers were well-trained and coordinated perfectly, clearly having been prepared in advance.

The Imperial Guards, already exhausted from a day's journey, were thrown into disarray by this sudden turn of events.

The sudden burst of bright solar lights blinded them, the mysterious gunshots terrified them, their commander and personal guards were shot and tumbled off their horses, and their desperate situation on all sides caused their morale to collapse.

"Damn it! We've fallen into a trap!" It took Tang Rongyao a moment to react. He gritted his teeth and, with the help of his adjutant, managed to stand up. "Retreat! Retreat now!"

But it was too late.

The Cangzhou troops, surging in from all directions, surrounded the Imperial Guards like an iron barrel, leaving no room for escape.

The loudspeaker on the city wall was still shouting: "Lay down your weapons and you will be spared!"

Many Imperial Guard soldiers, terrified by the shouts from the loudspeaker, instinctively dropped their weapons and begged for mercy.

Some soldiers didn't even have time to resist before they were caught by the ropes and fell to the ground.

The warhorses panicked and charged in all directions, further exacerbating the chaos.

Tang Rongyao watched helplessly as his soldiers fell like wheat being harvested, and were tied up one by one.

He clutched his injured shoulder, his eyes blazing with fury, but there was nothing he could do. In the end, he could only surrender like the other imperial guards.

That night, outside the west gate of Yizhou City, the 30,000 imperial guards from the capital were almost completely wiped out without much fighting.

This meticulously designed trap not only captured a large number of imperial guards from the capital, but also seized countless supplies and provisions.

The cold white beams of solar-powered lights hung on the city wall, piercing the night and illuminating the chaotic battlefield.

After the battle ended, squads of Cangzhou soldiers were busy cleaning up the battlefield and gathering prisoners.

The battle was completely unexpected, and the Cangzhou army suffered no casualties whatsoever. The Imperial Guards also suffered few casualties, mainly due to being frightened.

Xiao Zhenfei stepped across the blood-stained ground and walked toward Tang Rongyao, who was sitting with his hands tied behind his back, leaning against a half-broken tree stump.

The commander of the Imperial Guards in the capital was wearing crooked armor, his hair was disheveled, and he had several scratches on his face, but he unconsciously straightened his back.

“General Tang,” Xiao Zhenfei spoke, his voice exceptionally clear outside the empty city gate, “Look, the dynasty’s fate is sealed. General Tang is a rare talent; why not abandon the darkness and embrace the light? My lord is eager for talent and will certainly not fail you.”

Tang Rongyao slowly raised his head, his lips twitching slightly from the pain in his shoulder.

Using the tree stump for support, he laboriously adjusted his posture, his gaze sweeping over the soldiers behind Xiao Zhengfei who were carrying corpses, finally settling on Xiao Zhengfei's face with undisguised sarcasm.

"Abandon darkness for light?" He scoffed, his voice hoarse yet forceful. "Xiao Zhengfei, is the 'light' you speak of just traitors who betray their monarch and declare themselves emperors? His Majesty has shown me boundless kindness, and I, Tang Rongyao, stand tall and upright. Having received the emperor's bounty, I must be loyal to him! The Prince of Cangzhou has already been granted a fiefdom, and His Majesty has shown him the utmost favor. Yet now he dares to harbor ambitions of becoming emperor. This is disloyalty and injustice, an act that Heaven and Earth cannot tolerate!"

Tang Rongyao became more and more agitated as he spoke, his chest heaving, which aggravated the pain in his shoulder wound. However, he endured the pain and shouted angrily, "He betrayed His Majesty and betrayed the Great Jing Dynasty. He will be infamous for ten thousand years!"

Xiao Zhengfei frowned, took a step forward, and a shadow instantly enveloped Tang Rongyao.

"Your Highness was forced into this situation! Open your eyes and look! In this great dynasty, the court is filled with incompetent officials who are like beasts eating the food of the land! Meanwhile, the soldiers on the border fight bloody battles, only to be met with suspicion and suppression, and even their pay is being embezzled at every level! This court is rotten to the core! If Your Highness does not raise an army, will the people of this world have any way to survive? Will we soldiers still have any dignity?" Xiao Zhengfei said coldly.

Cangzhou and Xuzhou are separated by a river, and Xiao Zhengfei already knew Tang Rongyao's background.

When Emperor Jing was still the Prince of Xuzhou, Tang Rongyao was the chief guard of the Prince of Xuzhou's palace. He served the Prince of Xuzhou for many years and was appreciated for his loyalty.

Emperor Jing regarded Tang Rongyao as a confidant, and after ascending the throne, he entrusted him with command of two elite imperial guards protecting the capital, elevating him to a high position. This favor of recognition was indeed Tang Rongyao's most formidable armor.

As expected, Tang Rongyao remained unmoved by Xiao Zhengfei's kind offers to recruit him.

Instead, he raised his head, rolled his eyes, and wore an almost obstinate loyalty on his face.

"Traitor, do not speak such nonsense! His Majesty has shown me great favor and placed great trust in me. I, Tang Rongyao, will only be loyal to His Majesty for the rest of my life! As for the fate of the court and the world, that is not my concern. I only know that my loyalty and my life already belong to His Majesty!"

"You..." Xiao Zhenfei's tone was tinged with anger as he saw how stubborn he was. "But this is not loyalty, it is foolishness! It is selfishness! You are thinking about those personal favors, but you cannot see the suffering of the people! But the prince has great love in his heart, he wants to rebuild the world, and he wants to give the people of the world a way to live!"

Tang Rongyao remained unmoved. He suddenly straightened his back and roared, word by word, "I don't understand any grand love. I only know how to love the Great Jing Dynasty, and I only know how to love His Majesty! So what?"

Xiao Zhengfei looked at his face, which was flushed with excitement. There was no weighing of pros and cons in his eyes, only a burning, blind sincerity.

He knew that it was useless to persuade such a stubborn person, and a feeling mixed with disappointment, anger and a little helplessness welled up in his heart.

Xiao Zhengfei took a deep breath and said coldly, "Selfish wretch! Your love is as narrow as a frog in a well. Fine, whatever! Since you're willing to die for this corrupt court, then stay here and watch how the Prince changes the world and rebuilds the land!"

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the dejected Imperial Guard prisoners in the distance, who were being held in close guard, and a different thought came to his mind.

"As for your soldiers... perhaps they are more sensible than you. Whether they live or die, and where they go, is their own choice."

After saying that, Xiao Zhengfei didn't look at him again, turned around and strode away, his figure quickly disappearing into the darkness where the light couldn't reach.

Under the cold white light, only Tang Rongyao remained, sitting stiffly beside the tree stump.

He gazed in the direction where Xiao Zhengfei had disappeared, then slowly surveyed the ravaged battlefield and his disarmed and detained subordinates. The imposing aura he had just mustered vanished instantly, replaced by a profound sense of bewilderment and helplessness.

The night wind swept across the battlefield, dispersing the smoke and the smell of blood, but it could not dispel the humiliation and disbelief in his heart.

The rebel general didn't kill him? Didn't he torture him?
They didn't even keep a close watch on him; they just left him standing there, almost contemptuously.
Tang Rongyao felt this was illogical.

He looked around and saw that the soldiers who had once held him in such awe were now either dejected or had shifty eyes. Many more were being led by the Cangzhou soldiers to a temporarily designated area on the other side.

An ominous premonition suddenly welled up in his heart.

"What is he going to do? Where did he go?" Tang Rongyao struggled to see where Xiao Zhengfei was going, but his view was blocked by the crowd.

Only Xiao Zhengfei's rousing voice could be faintly heard in the distance, mixed in with the night wind.

Xiao Zhengfei's voice was intermittent and indistinct, yet it struck Tang Rongyao's heart like a heavy hammer.

He understood that Xiao Zhengfei, seeing that he couldn't persuade him, had turned his attention to dealing with his captured subordinates.

Time passed slowly amidst the tension. The cleanup efforts on the battlefield, however, proceeded with exceptional speed and efficiency.

The soldiers of Cangzhou Army silently and orderly carried the bodies of the fallen Imperial Guards, their movements solemn.

They did not insult the wounded and killed members of the Imperial Guard, but instead gave them a solemn burial.

The captured armor, provisions, and supplies were categorized, registered, and piled up like mountains.

Those uniquely shaped solar lights emitted a cool white light, illuminating everything as bright as day.

He saw his fine armor and weapons easily taken away, and the provisions that would feed 30,000 troops for more than a month become the spoils of the Cangzhou army.

His heart ached so badly it was almost bleeding!

Those are all His Majesty's hard work, the foundation of the capital's defense!

After a while, the sounds in the distance gradually subsided, replaced by an unusual commotion.

Tang Rongyao saw that the Imperial Guard prisoners, who had been kept under centralized guard, began to move in groups towards the perimeter of the camp, guided by a small number of Cangzhou soldiers.

The fear on their faces hadn't faded, but their hostility seemed to have lessened, and some even had a complex look in their eyes, a mixture of confusion and a glimmer of... hope?

"What's going on? Where are you taking my soldiers?" Tang Rongyao shouted, his heart clenching.

At this moment, a captain from the Cangzhou army walked over. His attitude wasn't bad, but he was definitely just there to inform him.

"General Tang, you don't need to look anymore. His Highness has ordered General Xiao to reorganize the brothers who are willing to join my Cangzhou Army. From now on, they may... fight for the common people."

"Bullshit! Bullshit!"

Tang Rongyao was furious. He struggled to rush over, but tripped over the rope beneath his feet and stumbled.

"You are not allowed to act recklessly! Those are His Majesty's Imperial Guards! They are the elite troops protecting the capital! How dare you so incite such unrest among the troops! Prince of Cangzhou! You despicable villain! If you have the guts, come at me!"

The captain gave him a cold look and ignored his roar.

Then, he simply said, "General, you should save your energy. General Xiao said that he respects your loyalty and righteousness and will not harm you. But we are not on the same page. Just stay here and watch how the world unfolds."

After saying that, the captain turned and left, leaving Tang Rongyao standing there roaring in vain, along with several Cangzhou soldiers guarding him.

Tang Rongyao's curses sounded exceptionally lonely and hollow on the empty battlefield, and were quickly dispersed by the night wind.

The next few hours were an unprecedented ordeal for Tang Rongyao.

He watched helplessly as the 30,000 Imperial Guards, entrusted to him by Emperor Jing and on whom he placed high hopes, were gradually disintegrated and absorbed by Xiao Zhengfei, like melting snow.

Xiao Zhengfei was clearly adept at winning hearts and minds. Instead of using high-pressure tactics, he repeatedly preached the righteousness of the King of Cangzhou to the captured imperial guards, recounting the corruption of the court, the hardships of the border soldiers, and the suffering of the common people. Following Zhao Zun's instructions, he promised that those who joined the Cangzhou army would have ample food and pay and share in peace.

For junior officers and ordinary soldiers, the question of who sits on the dragon throne may be far-fetched, but the tangible rations and a seemingly more promising path are incredibly attractive.

In front of Tang Rongyao, batches of prisoners were released from their bonds after a brief "listening and instruction" session.

They were given simple food and water and then regrouped.

Tang Rongyao even saw some of his former junior officers kneeling on one knee in front of Xiao Zhengfei to show their loyalty.

This scene, like a sharp knife, pierced through his so-called "loyalty" barrier.

His long-held belief in "receiving the emperor's salary and serving the emperor faithfully" proved utterly pale and powerless in the face of harsh reality and the will to survive.

Of course, there are some tough challenges among them.

There were approximately several hundred people who, no matter how Xiao Zhengfei tried to persuade them, remained silent or stated that they were only loyal to Emperor Jing.

As expected, Xiao Zhengfei did not kill these people. Instead, he ordered them to be gathered together and imprisoned in a temporary, heavily guarded enclosure.

Xiao Zhengfei personally walked to the fence and said to the angry prisoners inside, "I cannot say much about your choices. Once the new dynasty is established, you will understand whether your choices today were right or wrong. At that time, whether you stay or leave is entirely up to you!"

These words were not only addressed to those who refused to surrender, but also to everyone present, especially to Tang Rongyao, who was listening intently from afar.

Not killing them is a benevolent policy!

Detaining them is a deterrent!

Xiao Zhengfei's move perfectly demonstrated the King of Cangzhou's willingness to cherish his troops and win the hearts of the people.

Of course, it was also like a silent slap in the face to Tang Rongyao, who insisted on "Xiao Zhong".

As night deepened and dew grew heavy, the battlefield was basically cleaned up.

Tang Rongyao was placed alone in a simple little tent, and apart from the soldiers guarding him, no one else paid any attention to him, as if he had been completely forgotten.

He listened to the clamor and vitality of the victors outside, and recalled how just a few hours ago he had led his army to the city gates with great vigor, but now he was a prisoner.

The dispersal of his subordinates and the failure of his mission, this stark contrast of falling from grace nearly crushed him.

He repeatedly pondered Xiao Zhengfei's words—

"Your love for His Majesty stems from gratitude for his recognition and favor; that is a small love. But the prince's love is a great love, a love for all the people under heaven."

"Since you're unwilling to submit to the prince, then stay here and watch how he changes the world!"

He didn't believe that Zhao Zun, the King of Cangzhou, could change the world, but he was pondering a question.

Why were the 30,000 Imperial Guards so easily defeated?
Why was Xiao Zhengfei able to so easily turn most of his subordinates against him?
Has this great land of Jingjiang really reached the point where people have lost all respect for it?
And all of this, Your Majesty... are you aware of it?
That night, on the battlefield outside Yizhou City, the outcome was already decided.

Xiao Zhengfei's busy figure only stopped slightly when the first light of dawn appeared in the east.

The fiery sun rises from the east, heralding a brand new day.

Meanwhile, something else was happening on the Turkic steppes, thousands of miles away.

Today is the 23rd, the countdown to vacation has begun.